State Rep. Will Metcalf talks about recent legislation during the Lake Conroe Area Republican Women's meeting Thursday.

State Rep. Will Metcalf talks about recent legislation during the Lake Conroe Area Republican Women's meeting Thursday.

Photo: Jason Fochtman

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Senator Robert Nichols talks about recent legislation during the Lake Conroe Area Republican Women's meeting Thursday.

Senator Robert Nichols talks about recent legislation during the Lake Conroe Area Republican Women's meeting Thursday.

Photo: Jason Fochtman

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State Rep. Will Metcalf visits with State Comptroller Glenn Hegar before the Lake Conroe Area Republican Women's meeting Thursday.

State Rep. Will Metcalf visits with State Comptroller Glenn Hegar before the Lake Conroe Area Republican Women's meeting Thursday.

Photo: Jason Fochtman

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Elected officials update LCARW on recent legislation

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MONTGOMERY - Several local elected officials updated attendees at the Lake Conroe Area Republican Women’s meeting Thursday.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said that despite plummeting oil prices, Texas consumers have benefited from the resulting decline in prices at the gas pump.

“That ends up being a two and a half percent pay raise for the average tax payer, which is phenomenal,” Hegar said. “$800 more in people’s pocket. That has a little delayed impact on the state economy.”

Hegar added that August 2015 marked the 103rd month in a row that the Texas unemployment rate has remained less than the U.S. average.

State Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, a freshman state representative from Montgomery County, briefly spoke about serving on the homeland security committee and one of the house bills that went into effect on Sept. 2.

“We’re hiring an additional 250 Department of Public Safety troopers that will be stationed for our public security purposes,” Metcalf said. “This is a step in the right direction. Our federal government has continued to let us down on a daily basis, but I’m so proud to report back to you that Texas has stepped up to the plate in strengthening our border with Mexico.”

Metcalf added that the committee has added a new criminal office for smuggling and a new intelligence center for public safety agencies to communicate directly in a more secure environment.

Metcalf also spoke about his his tow-rotation bill will reduce traffic in Montgomery County, and his statewide guardianship bill, signed by Governor Greg Abbott, which allows legal guardians access to wards of the state they oversee if they get in legal trouble.

State Sen. Robert Nichols briefly spoke about the Homestead Exemption increasing from $15,000 to $25,000 upon voter approval through Proposition 1 in November and Proposition 7 which will dedicate a portion of the state’s general sales tax revenue for the State Highway Fund beginning in 2018, if approved by voters.

“For more than a decade Texas has struggled with how we’re going to fund our roads,” Nichols said. “We figured out a way with Proposition 7 to pass $2.5 billion of your general sales tax, and then a portion of car tax...we need your permission to do that.”

In honor of the 18th annual Montgomery County Celebration of Literacy that the group sponsors, all books purchased during the meeting will be donated to all Montgomery and Willis ISD campus libraries, and to the Montgomery County Library Branches in Willis and Montgomery.